REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition, Psychology and Brain Health
Mood Food: Antidepressant Effects of Culinary Spices
Lu Zhong 1
Yingjie Qing 1
Jie Liu 2
1. Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
2. Southeast University, Nanjing, China
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Abstract
Depression represents a major contributor to the global disease burden. As a complementary strategy, dietary interventions have attracted increasing interest in mental health care. Culinary spices, traditionally used as flavoring agents, are now increasingly regarded as functional foods due to they contain diverse plant-derived bioactive compounds with neuroprotective potential. Growing evidence suggests that several commonly used spices, such as turmeric, chili pepper, black pepper, ginger and saffron, all show similar antidepressant effects. These effects are achieved by regulating neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, monoaminergic neurotransmitter, neuroplasticity and gut-brain axis. Different from traditional antidepressants, culinary spices are typically consumed as a part of daily diet in low doses over extended periods, which may allow for gradual biological effects through multiple pathways while maintaining a favorable safety profile. This review systematically summarizes the evidence of antidepressant effects of major culinary spices, explains the molecular mechanisms, and discusses the key issues related to bioavailability, safety and dietary therapy potential. Understanding the role of culinary spices in emotional regulation may provide valuable insights for nutrition-based depression prevention and auxiliary management strategies.
Summary
Keywords
Antidepressant effects, Culinary spices, Depression, Dietary interventions, Functional Foods
Received
18 January 2026
Accepted
13 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Zhong, Qing and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Yingjie Qing; Jie Liu
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.